10 Scariest Enemies In Non-Horror Games
3. Shriek - Ori & The Will Of The Wisps
The much-beloved metroidvania titles Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are acclaimed for so many reasons. They boast some wonderful art direction, and a deftness with storytelling that allows them to weave a subtle, heart-rending narrative without excessive dialogue. The games tackle themes such as the harm that corruption can inflict on the natural world, and this is never clearer than with Ori and the Will of the Wips’ Shriek.
This creature was once a majestic owl, and a denizen of the Silent Woods. In several volatile encounters with Ori over the course of the game, they engage in battle, though Ori seems to sense that the stone-stricken owl is under a sinister influence. That influence is visible in its monstrous appearance: Shriek towers over our protagonist, with glowing eyes and fearsome, smashing limbs.
In a similar sense to Hollow Knight, the Ori games’ magnificent visuals have a macabre, unnerving beauty to them, and the ultimately tragic Shriek is representative of that.